When Australian vocal ensemble the Song Company kicked off its tour of Songs from the Heart in Newcastle on Thursday, more than two years of delicate planning and emotion finally erupted on stage.
Composers Dharawal and Inuk woman Sonya Hollowell and Yamatji-Gandangarra woman Elizabeth Sheppard were first approached by the company to produce a list of culturally inspired pieces in 2019.
Since then, a full-scale exploration of the Uluru Statement, their personal responses to it and its place within society has come together as an acapella performance night to tour the east coast.
The musical reaction captures particular meaning for Ms Hollowell who will join the ensemble to sing what she put to paper.
"Some of the compositions are very closely aligned to the statement, and then others are a little bit more tangential," she said.
"So there are moments of really owning our power and that sense of sovereignty and then there are also moments of conveying pain and vulnerability.
"This is all reflected in the statement itself."
Songs from the Heart continues to tour with performances in Parramatta, Canberra, Melbourne, Wollongong and inner Sydney.
A live stream of the Sydney performance is available via the The Australian Digital Concert Hall.
